The Tampa Bay Lightning held the Boston Bruins to just eight shots in the second period of Monday’s Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the TD Garden.

The Bruins only needed two.

Goals by Nathan Horton and Brad Marchand in the second period gave the Bruins the lead, and Tim Thomas stopped 33 shots in a row to power the Bruins to a 3-1 win over the Lightning. The Bruins will have a chance to secure their first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals since 1990 on Wednesday in Tampa Bay.

Bruins Offense Comes Alive in the Second

After one period, the Bruins were losing in shots, 14-4. They were losing in goaltending to Lightning goalie Mike Smith, who had blocked all 29 shots on him in relief during the playoffs, but had never started a playoff game before. They were hitting more, but the Lightning were skating faster, and that seemed to be working better.

The Bruins did dominate in faceoffs won, however, and in the second period they used it to their advantage. David Krejci won a faceoff in Tampa Bay’s zone and quickly dished it to Milan Lucic circling in from behind. Lucic got off a strong backhanded pass to Horton, who fired off a slap-shot from the near side of the left circle that went right past Smith, tying the game 1-1 with 15:36 left in the period.

With just over four minutes left in the second, Zdeno Chara fought through three Lightning players to get the puck to Patrice Bergeron near the right circle. Bergeron held the puck for a moment to let Marchand skate into position, then hit him with quick pass in the crease that Marchand flipped under the crossbar for the 2-1 lead.

The Bruins won 41 faceoffs to the Lightning’s 30. Their strong faceoff game paid dividends on offense and defense. Up 2-1 with 1:08 left in the game, Rich Peverley knocked the puck away from center Vincent Lecavalier as soon as Lecavalier secured the puck after an offsides faceoff. This forced the Lightning to retreat into their own zone and start their offense from farther back. It kept Tampa Bay from pulling the goalie Smith for an extra skater for nearly 30 extra seconds.

Peverley followed up his play by knocking a pass from defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron into the air, which Chris Kelly secured and then passed back to Peverley near center ice. Peverley stepped around Bergeron, pushed the puck a bit up the ice and buried the empty netter for the 3-1 lead with 1:13 left in the game.

Thomas Gives Up Early Goal, Then Bears Down

The Lightning defense was overbearing in the neutral zone and dominating near their own goal early on in the game, and the Bruins offense completely crumbled. Just 1:09 into the first period, Krejci misplayed the puck near the Lightning blue line, and Andrew Ference lost his footing as the puck scooted by him. That gave the Lightning an easy two-on-one, with center Steven Stamkos hitting left winger Simon Gagne with a short crossing pass that Gagne buried in the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.

Tampa Bay’s goal came on its first shot on Thomas, but Thomas stopped the next 33. Though he hasn’t been the dominating force in the Eastern Conference Finals that he was against the Philadelphia Flyers, Thomas’s Game 5 performance looked more like the Thomas who set an all-time record in save percentage during the regular season.

When winger Sean Bergenheim got off two shots in 10 seconds midway through the first, Thomas became a wall. When center Blair Jones angled undefended towards the goal with 1:50 elapsed in the third, Thomas came out to challenge him, forcing a shot that bounced wide off the right goal post. And when right winger Steve Downie got off a close-range shot with Thomas out of position, Thomas made a desperate dive back towards the net. Extending his stick as far in front of him as he possibly could, Thomas just managed to get the blade in-between the puck and the goal. Downie’s shot struck the edge of the blade, ricocheted off the left goal post and sailed away. (Watch video of the amazing save).

Though the Lightning got off four more shots before the game ended, Downie’s miss had drained the team. They never regained the strength, speed and intensity that had categorized their first- and second-period play, and the Bruins’ defense just got stronger and stouter.

It might not have been the most prolific shooting night in Bruins playoff history, but the Bruins scored just enough to let the best goalie in the NHL do his thing. And now, they sit just one game away from the Stanley Cup.

© Matt Goisman for Sports of Boston, 2011. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins, Featured, Top Story.

Boston had their three-game win streak snapped Saturday night, losing to the L.A. Kings in a shootout 4-3. The Kings opened up a 3-0 lead early, only to have the Bruins fight all the way back to tie it and send the game to OT. After going goalless in the extra time, it took six rounds of the shootout before L.A. sent the B’s packing, with Michal Handzus beating Tim Thomas stick side for the game winner.

Tampa’s riding a three-game win streak of their own, returning home Monday after sweeping their trio of road games last week. Saturday, they edged Buffalo 2-1, a stark contrast from Thursday’s win, a wild 8-7 goalfest in Philly.

These two teams are off to very good starts so far, so let’s jump into some pregame notes before the two squads square off Monday evening…

- The B’s and the ‘Ning split their four games last season, with each team winning one at home and one on the road.

- If the playoffs started today (and I know they don’t start any time soon), these two teams would square off against each other in the first round, as the 4 vs. 5 matchup in the Eastern Conference. Both teams have 24 points, with Boston having two games in hand over Tampa.

- When you talk about the Lightning, the conversation has to start with early MVP front-runner Steven Stamkos. The young centerman leads the NHL with 19 goals and 34 points through just 20 games. He was held without a point for just the third time this season during Saturday’s win over the Sabres. Behind Stamkos on the stat sheet is winger Martin St. Louis (8G, 18A), who sits in a tie for third in points across the NHL. Other than these two powerhouses, no one has more than 12 points on Tampa.

- Team captain Vincent Lecavalier will remain out of action Monday with a right hand injury. Also sidelined is former Flyer Simon Gagne (neck) and defenseman Matt Smaby (ankle). For Boston, Marc Savard, Marco Sturm, and Trent Whitfield remain on injured reserve.

- According to reports from the team’s early morning skate, the B’s will start Tuukka Rask in goal Monday evening against the ‘Ning. Rask last saw action on Thursday when he recorded his first win of the year, a 4-0 shutout of the Florida Panthers.

- Tampa’s goalie situation is truly a goalie-by-committee situation. Their two netminders are nearly minute for minute in terms of playing time, with Dan Ellis (5-4-2, 2.81GAA) slightly ahead of Mike Smith (6-3-0, 3.38GAA). Smith did start in Saturday’s game, so if I were a betting man, maybe I’d put a minimum bet on Ellis getting the nod Monday.

- Monday’s match-up will feature two of the league’s top penalty-killing units, with Boston (89.9%) currently ranked second in the NHL and Tampa right behind them in third (89.0%). Montreal has the top spot… for now.

- Lastly, a quick programming note… Monday’s game can be found on Versus at a 7:30pm start time, not on NESN. Sorry, all you Jack Edwards fans.

© Brian Kintz for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments
Filed under: Bruins.

Up 3-0 in the second round series against the battered and bruised Flyers, the Bruins seemed to be flying high. They had improved to 7-2 in the playoffs at that point, and were just one win away from their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since George Herbert Walker Bush was President in 1992.

Then, David Krejci broke his wrist in Game 4, Tuukka Rask returned to Earth and began to act like a human goalie, and the Bruins returned to become…those lovable losers we’ve come to know. Add it all up, and the Flyers converted an 0-3 series deficit into 4-3 series victory with four straight wins over the Bruins, becoming the third NHL team to battle back from such a deficit, including the 1975 New York Islanders (who beat Pittsburgh) and the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs (who beat Detroit).

By comparison, no NBA team has ever come back to win a series when down 3 games to none, and just one baseball team has ever done it: your 2004 Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees in the ALCS.

History aside, there’s also a bit of irony too. The Bruins won the first three games of the series, and the Flyers won the next four. The Bruins scored the first three goals of Game 7, and the Flyers scored the next four unanswered to win the game 4-3, and the series 4-3.

The Bruins’ Initial Surge

Initially, it seemed the nervous Bruins fans could finally be at ease. The team shot out to a 3-0 lead in the first 15 minutes of the game thanks to two high sticking penalties by the Flyers.

On the ensuing power play after the first penalty, Michael Ryder scored his fourth goal of the playoffs just over five minutes into the game.

Milan Lucic added a goal on the next power play, and scored again five minutes later to give the Bruins a 3-0 cushion. That should be enough in a playoff game, right?

The Lead Slips Away

James van Riemsdyk scored his first goal of the playoffs with less than three minutes to go in the first period to cut the lead to 3-1. No big deal, right?

The second period was all-Flyers, as they out-shot Boston 11-6. Scott Hartnell and Danny Briere (on a wrap-around) each scored early in the second to pull the energy out of the building, the wind out of the Bruins’ sails, and all the momentum Boston had left.

To this point, Tuukka Rask had allowed three goals on 19 shots. He definitely tired as the series went on, and his age in and inexperience began to show. But, nothing (not even years of experience) could have prepared him or anyone else in the building for what happened in the third period.

Too Many Men on the Ice v. 2

In 1979, the Bruins were facing the rival Canadiens in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and a ridiculous too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty led to Guy LaFluer’s tying goal. The Habs later won that Game 7 in overtime, eliminating the Bruins.

Some 31 years later, the Bruins somehow found themselves in a similar situation. There it was again: a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty, and the Flyers had the man advantage. You knew they would score. I knew they would score. Tuukka knew they would score.

Sure enough, Simon Gagne (who earns series MVP honors in my book) banged home the game-winning goal with less than eight minutes to go in regulation.

The Bruins had a couple weak chances toward the end of the game, and didn’t convert any of them in the defeat. In fact, after sending in 14 shots in the first period, the team combined for just 11 the rest of the game.

The B’s lost their third straight Game 7 overall, including last year’s devastating defeat in overtime against the Hurricanes and the Game 7 drubbing in the first round of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Canadiens. They are 9-10 all-time in Game 7 situations.

Looking Ahead

Will I remain a Bruins fan? Yes. After the Red Sox let me down in the 2003 ALCS, and I remained a fan the next season, I knew I could take anything. Friday night’s embarassing and historic loss really sucked. It did…but we have to remember that the future of this team is bright.

We should be happy with how far they’ve come considering how mediocre they were all year. Tuukka Rask is developing into a world-class goaltender, and David Krejci showed he can be a second line center in the NHL (when healthy). With Marc Savard at 100% by next season, the Bruins should be in good shape. Oh, and they have that No. 2 pick (likely Taylor Hall) to add to the mix as well.

The Flyers, meanwhile, seem to be hitting on all cylinders, and will have home-ice advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Montreal Canadiens. For you Bruins fans looking for someone to root, ignore the NHL’s East Finals and turn your attention to the Celtics…because I mean come on, how can you cheer for the Flyers after this past series…or cheer for the Canadiens in any situation?

© KC Downey for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments
Filed under: Bruins, Featured, Top Story.

This perfect picture is turning very blurry very fast for the Bruins. It would’ve been nice for them to come home and make it to the Eastern Conference Finals by beating the Philadelphia Flyers while in Boston. Well the champagne is going to have to wait at least another night.

As Boston fans, we expected the Bruins to put away the Flyers on Friday night, but a late overtime goal by Simon Gagne kept his team alive for Monday’s game.  As if we weren’t cursing his name enough on Friday, he was again the hero for the Flyers on Monday night as he scored two goals on to a 4-0 victory for Philadelphia. The Bruins still lead the series 3-2, as Game Six heads back to Philadelphia.

One of the largest concerns for the Bruins should be the amount of power plays they gave the Flyers. Philly had the man advantage nine times during the game. That’s right, nine times!!! Granted, they only scored once but the Bruins cannot give any team that many opportunities ever. Especially in the playoffs. So they really need to go back and play smart hockey.

For the Flyers, starting goalie Brian Boucher injured his knee early in the second period after being on the bottom of a pileup in the crease. Prior to leaving the ice he stopped all nine shots-on-goal from the Bruins. Michael Leighton came in and finished off the shutout for Philly, as he stopped all 14 shots he saw.

Tuukka Rask was not as fortunate in goal as he has been the rest of the postseason. Rask stopped 27-of-31 shots on goal as he got the loss. There is still no indication on whether or not Tim Thomas will ever step on the ice.

First Period

• The Flyers didn’t waste any time getting things going in the first period, as Ville Leino scored his second goal of the postseason just under seven minutes into the game. He was assisted by Chris Pronger and Matt Carle on the play. Bruins down 1-0
• Vladimir Sobotka receieved a four-minute double-minor later in the period for high-sticking Scott Hartnell.

Second Period

• Hartnell got his revenge on the high-stick from the first period by netting his first goal of the postseason to put the Flyers up 2-0 just past the half-way mark in the period. He was assisted by Danny Briere and Kimmo Timonen on the play. Bruins down 2-0
• 40 seconds later, Marc Savard got called for roughing Timonen and serves two minutes in the box. At least he tried to get revenge.
• With less than three minutes left in the period Gagne netted his second goal of the season and it was a big one. Gagne was assisted by Leino and Mike Richards with the man advantage as Steve Begin was in the box for boarding Claude Giroux. Bruins down 3-0 

Third Period

• To wrap things up, Gagne added his second goal of the night less than seven minutes into the period to give Philadelphia the final 4-0 lead. Gagne was unassisted on the play. Flyers lead and win 4-0

Game Six will take place on Wednesday in Philadelphia. After starting the series off 3-0, it was hard to imagine that the Flyers would put up any fight, but it’s a series now and the Bruins really need to start playing smarter hockey, and getting the puck in the net. After figuring out how to score in all the other games during the playoffs, we can only hope they don’t hit a cold streak.

Game Notes

• The Flyers out-shot the Bruins 31-to-23 for the game.
• Boston racked up 22 penalty minutes in the game, many on poor decisions on the ice. Philly only had eight penalty minutes.
• The Bruins out-hit the Flyers 25-to-24 and won more faceoffs (31-to-22).
• Before Monday’s loss, the Bruins were 5-0 at home this year in the playoffs.
• Before the game the Bruins honored Bobby Orr with a statue outside the TD Garden.

© Greg for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments
Filed under: Bruins, Featured.

Boston had their chances to complete the four-game sweep of Philly on Friday night, but an overtime goal by Simon Gagne gave the Flyers the chance to live another day, winning the game 5-4 and sending the series back to Boston.

Plenty to talk about leading into tonight’s tilt at the Garden, so let’s get down to business…

- Let’s first throw some really positive stats at you to put your mind at ease. The Bruins are 5-0 at home in this year’s playoffs, winning each game by exactly one goal. The Bruins are 15-1 in series when they enjoy a 3-1 advantage, with the only loss coming in the ’04 playoffs to Montreal. And, the Flyers haven’t won a playoff game in Boston since May of 1976. All are great signs that point to a Bruins win this evening.

- Another bright spot for the B’s has been the play of Mark Recchi. The 42-year-old winger had two goals against his former team in Friday night’s Game 4, including the equalizer with just seconds remaining in regulation, which sent the game to the extra period. His 56 career playoff goals rank second among active players, now only two behind Dallas’ Mike Modano.

- One record that Recchi will have to share now is the feat that Flyers’ defenseman Matt Carle achieved Friday night. Carle notched four assists in Philly’s 5-4 victory, matching a franchise playoff best, which Recchi achieved back in the 2000 playoffs as a Flyer, against the Penguins in the East semis.

- This wouldn’t be a playoff hockey article if we didn’t talk about injuries. For Philly, they welcomed back winger Simon Gagne in Game 4, and like Marc Savard did in his first game back, Gagne lit the lamp with an overtime game-winner of his own, keeping the Flyers’ dim playoff hopes alive. Daniel Carcillo, who skated just 11 shifts in Friday’s win after an apparent knee injury in the first period, did skate this morning with the team, but is considered a game-time decision tonight. For Boston, defenseman Adam McQuaid will remain out of action tonight as he nurses a lower-body injury. Mark Stuart will remain in the lineup in his place, in his second game back from a finger infection. And Dennis Seidenberg, out since early April with a torn tendon in his right forearm, returned to the ice this weekend, in an effort to make it back to the B’s lineup, should the team advance far enough. Seidenberg is said to still be weeks away from a return, but he is pushing to make it back sooner rather than later.

- If you’re a Jack Edwards fan, it’s time to rejoice. After NBC and Versus had exclusive rights to games 1 through 4, tonight it’s NESN’s turn to cover the action. But, if you’re one of the few Joe Beninati fans out there, well this comes as bad news. (Beninati did the play-by-play for Versus, for those of you who didn’t know what the name was of the announcer you were annoyed with during the past few games.)

- Lastly, the highly anticipated unveiling of a brand new bronze statue of Bobby Orr outside TD Garden was celebrated this afternoon. The ceremony, which was to include Orr himself, along with Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino among others, was to be held today in honor of Orr’s “flying” goal that won the team the Cup in 1970, 40 years ago today.

© Brian Kintz for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins.

Is it appropriate to sip the champagne when you win a second round series? Just what is the proper etiquette for such a situation in the NHL? Well, we’ll find out eventually, because the Bruins could not close out the Flyers in Phildelphia on Friday night in a 5-4 loss in overtime.

The Bruins, of course, made things interesting. Down 4-3 late in the game and with Tuukka Rask pulled, the B’s used the man advantage to their advantage, with Mark Recchi scoring his second goal of the game and sixth of the playoffs with just 32 seconds to go to tie it up 4-4.

On the brink of elimination, the Flyers battled back and finally broke through the Tuukka wall in the overtime period, with the returning Simon Gagne netting his first goal 15 minutes into the overtime period to give the Flyers the 5-4 win.

In all, Rask finished with 29 saves in 34 chances and may be tiring just a bit. He’s clearly the best option, but the team could have used the extra rest by closing out the series in Game 4. Instead, we move to Game 5 with the B’s and Flyers duking it out at the TD Garden on Monday night.

The Bruins, who have seemed to battle back in every game all playoffs, found themselves down 3-1 after three straight Flyers goals (Danny Briere, Chris Pronger, and Claude Giroux). Midway through the second period, the Bruins pulled within one on a lucky goal by Michael Ryder that seemed to sneak through Brian Boucher’s legs.

Milan Lucic tied it 3-3 with his power play goal early in the third, and the Flyers took a 4-3 lead late in the game on Ville Leino’s first goal of the playoffs. This all set up Recchi’s heroics…and eventually Gagne’s heroics. Got to love playoff hockey.

Looking Ahead

The Bruins should not be ashamed. With a 3-1 series lead against the Sabres in the first round, they laid an absolute egg in Game 5 in Buffalo (losing 4-1). With a 3-0 lead against the Flyers in Philly, they nearly found themselves with a series sweep and appear to be constantly on their toes. This Bruins team plays with a sense of urgency, and even when it appears they are down and out, they step up and bring their “A” game. This team is much more exciting to watch in the playoffs than last year’s squad, who seemed lackadaisical late in the series against the Hurricanes.

The Bruins can close out the series in Game 5 on Monday night.

We won’t starting talking about the likelihood of teams winning a series after facing 3-0 deficits unless the Flyers win in Game 5…

© KC Downey for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments
Filed under: Bruins, Featured.

But while the Flyers have been losing games on the scoreboard, the Bruins have been losing healthy bodies on their roster. Just minutes into Game 1, the B’s lost their leading goal scorer Marco Sturm, who tore his ACL and MCL and is likely out for 6-8 months. Follow that with Wednesday night’s pair of injuries, one of which is a dislocated wrist to one of the team’s top point producers David Krejci, and the other a lower-body injury to defenseman Adam McQuaid. McQuaid is doubtful for Friday’s Game 4, while Krejci is gone for good, having undergone surgery on Thursday.

All of these bumps and bruises have caused head coach Claude Julien to juggle and rejuggle and rejuggle again, the lineup from game to game. He’ll likely get back defenseman Mark Stuart for Game 4, as he has been medically cleared to return to the lineup for the first time since April 1. He is considered a game-time decision, but look for him to be paired with Andrew Ference on the third defensive pairing Friday in McQuaid’s absence.

On the forward lines, you’ll see either Trent Whitfield or Brad Marchand inserted into the lineup, or actually, possibly both. Winger Shawn Thornton was unexpectedly absent from this morning’s team skate, so his availability for Friday’s game is left in question.

All this being said, the Bruins wouldn’t trade where they’re at right now for anything. Just one win stands between them and their first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 18 seasons.

Here we go with a few more pre-game notes to get you ready for Friday’s potential series clincher…

• If Mark Stuart cannot make a go of it this evening, one of the three other defensemen on the trip will step into the lineup, with the choices being Jeff Penner, Andy Bodnarchuk, and Andy Wozniewski. GM Peter Chiarelli did say that Stuart is “likely” to make his return though.
• On the Philly injury front, the Flyers could be welcoming back offensive-minded winger Simon Gagne this evening. Gagne, who broke a toe on his right foot late in the series with New Jersey, has missed all three games in this second round series with Boston. Gagne skated with the team Thursday, but did not appear in the team’s optional skate this morning. He, like Stuart, is considered to be a game-time decision this evening.
• Philadelphia has led in this series for just one minute and 39 seconds total. They enjoyed a brief 1-0 lead at the beginning of Wednesday’s first period, only to give up the equalizer and the go-ahead goal to Boston by the time the first intermission rolled around.
• Boston was outshot in Wednesday’s Game 3, which has come to be a rarity these days. The B’s have been outshot by their opponent in just two of their last 24 games.
• The Flyers will look to become the third team ever to come back from an 0-3 deficit in the NHL playoffs. 160 teams in NHL history have enjoyed 3-0 series leads, and only two, the ’42 Maple Leafs and the ’75 Islanders, were able to beat the odds and win four straight in order to advance.
• And lastly, we take a quick skate around the league to check in on the other three second round matchups. In the other Eastern Conference semifinal, the Canadiens were able to even their series up with the defending champion Penguins Thursday night, coming back with two third period goals to earn themselves a 3-2 win in Game 4. The series will shift back to Pittsburgh for Game 5 this weekend. Out West, Detroit avoided elimination in grand fashion in Game 4, beating San Jose 7-1 on the heels of four goals from Johan Franzen. Detroit, now down 3-1 in the series, will try to win Game 5 and send the series back to Detroit for Game 6. And lastly, Chicago and Vancouver tangle in Game 4 Friday, with the Blackhawks enjoying a 2-1 series lead.

© Brian Kintz for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins.

Boston and Philadelphia have always been notorious for their physical styles of play, which should make for a downright dirty, but entirely entertaining series.

Let’s dive in and get a closer look at what to expect from this series…

• The B’s and Flyers have met in just one playoff series since Philly upset the Bruins in the 1974 Stanley Cup finals. That series was in 1978.
• This series pits the two squads from this January’s Winter Classic against each other, a game that was eventually won in overtime by Boston, 2-1.
• Boston and Philly split the season series, each winning twice.
• The Bruins and Flyers were the only teams in the first round of the playoffs who didn’t lose on home ice. Boston took care of three wins at the Garden, while Philly needed just two victories on their home ice before sealing the deal in New Jersey in Game 5.
• Boston of course gets back one of their best offensive players in this series, with the return of center Marc Savard. Savard, who has missed nearly two months since the March 7th hit by Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke sidelined him with a grade 2 concussion, has been practicing on a third line with Daniel Paille and Michael Ryder. Vladimir Sobotka has now moved to fourth-line duty, centering Steve Begin and Blake Wheeler, leaving Shawn Thornton to likely be the odd man out.
• For Phildelphia, their injuries have been the top story. The team’s top scorer, Jeff Carter, is lost for the season after breaking his foot in the series with New Jersey. Simon Gagne, another top forward for the Flyers, will also miss time with a foot injury, likely out for the entire second-round series. Then there’s Ian Laperriere, who suffered a concussion of his own after stopping a puck with his forehead, which is not recommended. He’s gone for good as well. The Flyers also are down two goalies, with Ray Emery (hip) and Michael Leighton (ankle) done for the year too.
• If you think a six-seed hosting a seven-seed in the playoffs is rare, that’s because it is. It’s only the fourth time in league history that it’s happened. Anaheim hosted Colorado in 2006, which was the last time this happened, and the B’s hosted Buffalo back in 1999, in a series eventually won by the Sabres in 6 games. The Sabres would go on to lose in the Stanley Cup finals that year, as a seven-seed.

© Brian Kintz for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins.

Bruins fans everywhere have been paying more attention to the action off the ice this week than on, as news of Marc Savard’s health remains grim and news of the league’s decision to not discipline Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke has everyone up in arms. Savard, according to GM Peter Chiarelli and other front office folks, has not improved since sustaining the hit to the head in Sunday’s loss to the Penguins. He is still suffering from intense headaches and nausea, sleeping most of the days away. His return to the ice this year looks more and more doubtful as time goes on and improvement doesn’t come. Fans certainly have next Thursday circled on their calendar, when Cooke’s Penguins make a trip to Causeway St. to face what will hopefully be a vengeful Bruins squad, hungry to make their mark and retaliate.

But before that battle, the B’s have to focus on tonight’s opponent, the Broad St. Bullies. Philly has a four-point advantage on Boston in the standings, sitting comfortably in the sixth spot in the East, while Boston clings to a three-point lead over the Rangers for the eighth and final playoff spot. Let’s jump into some juicy details about tonight’s skate in the City of Brotherly Love:

• This is the fourth and final meeting of the season between these two storied franchises. The Flyers took the first two games, with Boston earning the overtime victory in the Winter Classic.
• On the injury front, beyond the loss of Marc Savard indefinitely, the team was without captain Zdeno Chara in Tuesday’s overtime loss to Toronto. Chara, who is nursing a lower body injury, skipped yesterday’s team practice as well, but was seen on the ice for this morning’s pre-game skate and is considered a game-time decision for tonight. Also out of action during yesterday’s practice was center Steve Begin, who was given a “maintenance day” by the coaching staff. Begin was also on the ice this morning and should suit up tonight. Andrew Ference remains back in Boston, sidelined with a groin injury.
• For Philadelphia, the team lost their starting goaltender Ray Emery for the remainder of the season, just before the trade deadline. Instead of picking up some insurance for the net, the Flyers will instead ride the hot hand of Michael Leighton, who they picked up on waivers from Carolina earlier in the year.
• Leighton (16-7-2, 2.71GAA) will likely be in net tonight, backed up by Brian Boucher (4-12-1, 2.89GAA).
• Scoring for the Flyers is led by a pair of centers, Jeff Carter (31G, 26A) and Mike Richards (26G, 28A), followed by veteran defenseman Chris Pronger (8G, 40A).
• Simon Gagne, the team’s leading scorer the past two seasons, has notched game-winning goals in his last two games, topping Toronto Sunday, and then the Islanders on Tuesday. Gagne has been battling injuries all season, but is still nearly a point-per-game winger.
• Physical play will likely be at the forefront this evening, as the Flyers currently lead the league in penalty minutes, at 1,100 total.

© Brian Kintz for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins.

Boston is coming off a disappointing 3-2 overtime loss at the hands of the New York Islanders, a team the B’s just can’t seem to figure out this year. Despite the loss, Boston still is on an impressive 8-1-2 streak in their last 11 games.

Heading in the opposite direction are the Flyers, who are 2-8-0 in their last 10, and 1-4-0 since switching to new head coach Peter Laviolette. After Tuesday’s big 6-2 win over the Islanders, Philly has dropped their last two matchups, a 2-0 shutout to Ottawa and a 4-1 loss in New Jersey.

Here now, a closer look at tonight’s skate at the Garden…

• The Flyers won 4-3 in a shootout in the first matchup of the season between these two teams, back on Oct. 22nd.
• Philly leads the NHL in penalty minutes per game, at 17.8.
• The injury bug has hit the Flyers hard lately. Centers Blair Betts (shoulder) and Darroll Powe (shoulder), along with winger Simon Gagne (groin) and goalie Ray Emery (abdomen surgery) all will miss tonight’s game.
• On the score sheet, Philly is led by center Jeff Carter (11G, 14A), followed by veteran center Mike Richards (13G, 12A), and left wing Scott Hartnell (9G, 12A). Claude Giroux has scored the team’s last three goals.
• In goal, with starter Ray Emery sidelined indefinitely with an abdomen injury, the net will be manned by backup Brian Boucher (3-7-0, 2.53GAA). Also, the Flyers have called up Johan Backlund from their AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms. Backlund has yet to see NHL action.
• Early indications from this morning’s pregame skate point to Tim Thomas starting tonight’s game in goal for the Black and Gold.

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